Guitars not Greeks: The early chitarrone and its use in the 1589 La Pellegrina intermedii

Abstract

Today, the early chitarrone is assumed to be the same in form and tuning as the later designated instrument, the tiorba, a fundamental part of which is a neck extension to a second pegbox to allow for an extended bass string range. Foundational research into the nascence of the chitarrone has been dominated by related research into the origins of monody, with a focus on the influence of contemporaneous research into Ancient Greek practice; an influence which has since been disputed. Early chitarrone research is hampered by a complete lack of organological or iconographical evidence; however, the centrality of the chitarrone within the development of monody and basso continuo demands closer attention.

Clear descriptions by Alessandro Piccinini on the application of his arcilituto neck extension to the chitarrone sometime after 1595 have been contested or ignored but are here reexamined in the context of the chitarrone’s first documented appearance in the 1589 La pellegrina intermedii.

This thesis aims to critique research that retrospectively applies to the early chitarrone the characteristics of a chronologically later codified form in the tiorba. A framework of practice for the early chitarrone will be formulated, with particular attention being given to the underlying impetus for the creation of the new instrument. We contextualise the vocalists and instrumentalists that participated in the intermedii with contemporaneous collaborative instrumental performance practices, with a focus on the guitar. This new approach to the origins of the instrument forms the basis for speculation on the form and tuning of the early chitarrone.

The implications of the influence of the chitarrone as a collaborative instrument on vocal performance practice and notational practices, such as monody and basso continuo, will be explored.